Register Now For Molino Christmas Parade
November 25, 2017
The 15th Annual Molino Christmas Parade is set for next Saturday, December 2 at 11 a.m.
The parade route starts at the west end of Crabtree Church Road and ends and the Molino Ballpark were Santa Will be waiting to visit with all the good little boys and girls.
To participate in the parade, preregister at Jimmy’s Grill or register the day of the parade and be in line by 10:15 a.m.. Registration fees are $30 for floats; $20 for vehicles, motorcycles, tractors or golf carts; and $10 each for horses. No 4-wheelers or go-carts. All proceeds go directly back to the community to help children in need.
For more information, contact Karen Odom at (850) 281-4748 or Jimmy’s Grill at (850) 754-0041. Donations such as toys and non-perishable foot items can be dropped off at Jimmy’s Grill.
The rain date will be Sunday, December 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Pictured: Scenes from the 14th Annual Molino Christmas Parade in 2016. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sunset Over Sunn Hemp (And What Exactly Is Sunn Hemp?)
November 24, 2017
North Escambia farmers sometimes turn to fields of a yellow-flowering crop to prevent soil erosion between regular crops like corn.
It’s called Sunn Hemp (that’s Crotalaria juncea L for the scientific types).
Sunn Hemp is a semi-tropical plant that is grown as a cover crop in the southeast. It’s a legume, growing in a variety of locations and returning nitrogen to the soil. It can also be used as a biomass to produce biofuels.
Pictured above: A golden setting sun Thanksgiving evening over a field of sunn hemp in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: A closer look at the sunn hemp flowers. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Century Presents Thanksgiving Play (With Photo Gallery)
November 23, 2017
The Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center held their annual Thanksgiving Play last week.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the cutest Pilgrims and Indians around, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Jail Staff Delivers Thanksgiving Food For Families In Need
November 23, 2017
After hearing about empty shelves at a local food bank, Escambia County Jail staff members collected Thanksgiving turkeys and other food items for families in need, delivering the items Wednesday to the Epps Christian Center.
Jail staff collected nine boxes of food and seven turkeys for the center, which will be distributed to local homeless and families in need.
Escambia County Jail Lt. Jason Walker, who helped coordinate the food drive along with other jail command staff, said he’s glad to be able to help people in the community this Thanksgiving.
“We wanted to let the community know that the staff working inside the Escambia County Jail care about their fellow man,” Walker said. “We are a diverse group of employees here, and we care about the community as a whole. Seeing that there was a need close by, we wanted to assist with that need.”
Epps Christian Center’s food pantry gives out hundreds of pounds of food each month to the poor and homeless, along with offering free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals annually.
“The staff at the jail did a great job organizing the food drive,” Escambia County Corrections Director Tammy Jarvis said. “The holiday season is an especially difficult time for those in need, and it meant a lot to the staff at the jail to help make the holiday more enjoyable by donating food items to the Epps Christian Center.”
Survey Shows Lowest Thanksgiving Dinner Cost In Five Years
November 22, 2017
American Farm Bureau Federation’s 32nd annual price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.12, a 75-cent decrease from last year’s average of $49.87.
The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – came in at a total of $22.38 this year. That’s roughly $1.40 per pound, a decrease of 2 cents per pound, or a total of 36 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2016.
“For the second consecutive year, the overall cost of Thanksgiving dinner has declined,” AFBF Director of Market Intelligence Dr. John Newton said. “The cost of the dinner is the lowest since 2013 and second-lowest since 2011. Even as America’s family farmers and ranchers continue to face economic challenges, they remain committed to providing a safe, abundant and affordable food supply for consumers at Thanksgiving and throughout the year.”
The shopping list for Farm Bureau’s informal survey includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty for leftovers.
Consumers continue to see lower retail turkey prices due to continued large inventory in cold storage, which is up almost double digits from last year, Newton explained.
Foods showing the largest decreases this year in addition to turkey, were a gallon of milk, $2.99; a dozen rolls, $2.26; two nine-inch pie shells, $2.45; a 3-pound bag of sweet potatoes, $3.52; a 1-pound bag of green peas, $1.53; and a group of miscellaneous items including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (butter, evaporated milk, onions, eggs, sugar and flour), $2.72.+
“Milk production has increased, resulting in continued low retail prices,” Newton said. “In addition, grocers often use milk as a loss leader to entice consumers to shop at their stores.”
Items that increased modestly in price were: a half-pint of whipping cream, $2.08; a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing, $2.81; a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix, $3.21; a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, $2.43; and a 1-pound veggie tray, $.74.
“Whole whipping cream is up about 4 percent in price, due to increased consumer demand for full-fat dairy products,” Newton said.
After adjusting for inflation, the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is $20.54, the lowest level since 2010.
Volunteer shoppers checked prices at grocery stores in 39 states for this year’s survey. Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey.
Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages. Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.
The AFBF Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted in 1986.
Gulf Power Employees Help Point The Way In The Blackwater Forest
November 21, 2017
Gulf Power’s Plant Crist and Environmental Affair’s stewardship teams spent a recent day volunteering in Blackwater River State Forest to help make sure hunters, hikers and other users don’t get lost.
Sixteen employees teamed up with forestry staff and fanned out in the 211,000-acre forest, where a maze of paved and dirt roads crisscross through the massive pine landscape. Armed with maps, dotted with stars denoting the signposts, they hunted for the weathered concrete pillars, some barely readable.
One-by-one they scraped off flaking paint and years of dirt, rolled on a new coat of bright, yellow paint and stenciled on road names. The newly painted posts stood out like beacons against the dark greens and browns of the forest.
The posts have not been repainted since 2011. Eric Howell, Forestry resource administrator, said his staff had completed maintenance on about half of the signs on the 800-plus miles of roads through the forest, but they still had 250 remaining.
“These volunteers were very helpful to our crews who have been busy with other projects,” he said. “Our road and fire crews have been deploying for wildfires and hurricanes and working on road washouts, and we’ve not been able to get this project done.”
While the project seemed simple, it took time for the Gulf Power team to travel to each post, clear away brush and hunt through a bucket of letters and numbers to assemble the street names inside of a stencil. They were able to complete about a fifth of the posts needing painting, progress Howell said is a “huge step forward.”
Volunteer workdays are part of the mission of the Gulf Power’s Environmental Stewardship program that focuses on protecting, conserving and restoring the region’s ecosystem. Employees volunteer several times a year to help organizations from Pensacola through Panama City with projects that benefit the environment and the people who use the environmental resources.
Jeff Cole, Gulf Power’s Stewardship coordinator, said this is the first time the company has volunteered for the state forestry service. Cole has a special affinity for the area, having grown up in north Santa Rosa County.
“Gulf Power with our parent company, Southern Company, have supported Longleaf Stewardship Fund grants that have helped with restoration in the Blackwater River State Forest,” he said. “We wanted to get our employees out to see what’s being done and help out the forestry service with maintenance. Having these roads marked clearly and all of the names updated and repainted where they are visible, really helps people more enjoy the forest instead of riding around lost.”
“It’s an impressive forest,” he said. “It covers the whole north ends of Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. Blackwater River and Coldwater Creek and a lot of other interesting creeks run through it that you can canoe and enjoy. There’s a lot of recreational activities for the public out here, and I’ve always enjoyed it my whole life.”
Ryan Cowart, Environmental Affairs engineer, was volunteering for the second environmental stewardship day since joining Gulf Power in 2016, and he was impressed with the forest.
“I’m in the office most of the time, so I enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the community and its recreational opportunities and how we can help out,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been to this state forest. I’ve been to Tuskegee National Forest in Alabama, but this place is much larger and has nicer roads and better signage.”
The workday opportunity gave Michael Weeden, Gulf Power’s newest Environmental Affairs cooperative student from the University of West Florida, a taste of what the Land Management degree he’s pursuing could entail.
“I never thought I’d be painting sign posts,” he said. “I’m enjoying it.”
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
American Diabetes Month: Floridians Impacted In Large Numbers
November 20, 2017
November is American Diabetes Month. As the prevalence of the disease continues to rise across the state and nation, the number of Floridians with diabetes is expected to increase.
David Becker, a spokesman for the American Diabetes Association, says the latest numbers show 29 million Americans with diabetes, and the toll on health can be great, including kidney failure, blindness, amputations and more.
“There are a lot of co-morbid diseases as far as diabetes and cancer and heart disease,” he points out. “It all kind of is interrelating.”
Becker says about 95 percent of those people who have diabetes have Type 2, which healthier lifestyle choices with nutrition and physical activity can help prevent.
In Florida a little more than 1.7 million have diabetes, but that is expected to increase to nearly three million by 2030, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Becker notes that even some simple, small changes with healthy eating and regular exercise can yield big results. “If you lose just 7 percent of your body weight, you can decrease your chances of getting diabetes by 58 percent,” he stresses.
If the current trends don’t change, it’s estimated that by 2050, 30 percent of all Americans will have diabetes.
by The Florida News Connection
Century Branch Library Hosts Thanksgiving Program
November 18, 2017
The Century Branch Library recently held a Thanksgiving program. The event included a story, Magic Color Scratch ornaments and treats to eat. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Let The Miracle League Fry Your Thanksgiving Turkey
November 16, 2017
Volunteers from the Miracle League of Pensacola will fry your turkey for you next Wednesday, saving you the time and trouble while benefiting the charity. And there is still time to make an appointment.
Completely thaw your turkey, removing all of the inside packaging and giblets. Write down exactly how much your turkey weighs so it is fried perfectly and take it to the Miracle League Park at 555 East Nine Mile Road from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday. For a monetary donation to Miracle League, the volunteers will fry your turkey to perfection. A minimum of $20 per turkey is necessary to help cover costs, and any additional donation will benefit the Miracle League of Pensacola.
Call (850) 503-8894 with questions or to schedule your time (leave a message if no answer). Reservations should be made early as the number of time slots is limited.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Teen Works To Raise $1,000 To Feed The Homeless On Thanksgiving
November 16, 2017
Claire Jimenez is 14. She has a heart for her community, and her enthusiasm is contagious. With some of her friends, she formed a group called the Volunteens. They look for opportunities to be a blessing to their not-so- blessed neighbors, to the have-nots, to the underprivileged. And in October, Claire decided they’d help Waterfront Rescue Mission.
They set up a table to collect donations in front of Apple Market, and then went door to door in Claire’s neighborhood. They asked that people help Waterfront Rescue Mission feed the homeless on Thanksgiving, that we needed turkeys, stuffing, rolls, all the fixin’s to make Thanksgiving thankful. They took time that could have gone to any of a dozen things that we all do to relax and distract ourselves, and instead they went and collected money to make lives better for others. And they raised over $1,000.
“I was trying to find a service project to do and I thought the perfect one would be helping feed the homeless for Thanksgiving through Waterfront Rescue Mission,” Claire said. “My family has worked with Waterfront Rescue Mission before. We know it’s a trusting organization and helps a lot of people.”